This disclosure concerns an invention relating generally to tools for removing grout from joints between tiles and other grout-sealed surfaces, and more specifically to power tools for effecting grout removal.
In the field of tile installation, removal, and renovation, it is frequently desirable to be able to remove tiles from tiled surfaces. In order to do so, the grout seals between the tiles must be removed. There are presently several known grout removal tools for performing this task.
Initially, hand-held grout removal tools are known whereby a user may guide a blade within a grout joint to manually cut or grind the grout away by use of a sawing motion. Generally, these provide an elongated handle which extends towards a blade retainer, wherein blades are removably received. While these hand-held tools are inexpensive, they are tiring and time-consuming to use. However, one advantage of manual grout removal is that it is generally less forceful and more easily controlled than when power grout removal is performed. This can be important when there is a need to avoid tile damage and preserve the tiles for reuse, e.g., in the case of rare and expensive hand-painted tiles, and/or where the tile work is intricate and requires a high degree of tool control.
Rotary-mode power grout removal tools generally involve a rotating abrasive disc which is fit into the grout joint and spun against the grout. The housing for the disc may include rollers or similar guiding apparata which help users to guide the blade along a joint and/or adjust the depth of cut. While these can rapidly remove grout, they generate a great deal of dust; for this reason, some rotary-mode grout removers incorporate vacuum systems for cleaner operation. The rotary-mode tools also have the disadvantage that they are more difficult to control and cannot be used for intricate work, and they can cause greater damage to file edges is they are not carefully used.
Vibration-mode power grout removal tools generally involve a planar chisel or blade which fits within the grouted joint, and which is then vibrated at high frequency (around 365 Hz) and low amplitude (approximately 1 mm) along an axis parallel to or perpendicular to the blade""s edge. These tools are exemplified by the Fein grout removal tool, which vibrates the blade parallel to its edge and which is well known in the tile trade for its relatively dust-free operation. The blade fits within the grout joint and rapidly grinds through the grout with low damage to the surrounding tiles. Straight chisel-like blades, circular disc blades, and sickle-type blades may be interchangeably accommodated within the tool. Speed control is used to keep the speed constant under a variety of loading conditions, which is believed to enhance performance. Vibration-mode tools are generally regarded by those in the tile removal and installation trade to be the best tools available because they are xe2x80x9cgentlexe2x80x9d on tile, and they have low clean-up burden; unfortunately, they are also among the most expensive grout removal tools, and they are not as fast as rotary removal tools.
For competitive reasons, power grout removal is a virtual necessity for tile professionals in the present market. Manual grout removal is simply too slow (and thus too expensive) for the consumer to bear. Occasional exceptions exist, e.g., in the case where the tile professional is working on antique or fancy tiles, wherein their expense is such that the consumer is willing to pay the price of manual grout removal in order to spare the tiles. Additionally, dustless grout removal, or grout removal with minimal dust, has become increasingly important for contractors owing to the wasted time and diminished efficiency resulting from dust clean-up. Grout dust is extremely fine, is readily sent airborne for settling on distant household surfaces, and is irritating to the eyes and lungs. It is therefore desirable to have available other power grout removal tools which allow for rapid grout removal; which have minimal dust generation and dispersion; which allow for a high degree of control, so that they may be used with intricate tile work; and which provide grout removal with little or no damage to the surrounding tile.
The invention, which is defined by the claims set out at the end of this disclosure, is directed to a grout removal tool which addresses the previously-noted problems, and which provides advantages unavailable in prior grout removal tools. A particularly preferred version of the grout removal tool includes a proximal end adapted to be attached within a power reciprocating saw, and an opposing distal end having a cutting edge. Between the proximal attachment end and the distal cutting end, an elongated proximal leg extends from the proximal attachment end to join an elongated distal leg which descends at an angle toward the distal cutting end. The proximal leg is oriented at least substantially parallel to the cutting edge of the tool (and also the reciprocation axis along which the tool reciprocates within the saw) so that when the tool is reciprocated along a grouted work surface, at least a major portion of the cutting edge is placed in use, resulting in a higher rate of grout removal.
Within the grout removal tool, the proximal attachment end is preferably provided on an adapter, and the cutting edge is provided on one or more cutting blades which are replaceable on the distal end of the adapter. The cutting blades each affix to opposing planar sides of the adapter at two or more attachment points, and these attachment points are preferably situated along a line which is oriented at an angle to the reciprocation axis. As a result, the forces/stresses between the cutting blades and the adapter are distributed across the blade and the distal end of the adapter during reciprocation, resulting in less wear and greater durability. Additionally, the opposing planar sides of the adapter upon which the blades are affixed preferably slope inwardly towards each other so that the cutting blades installed thereon are oriented at an angle during cutting. For reasons discussed elsewhere in this document, this is believed to result in lesser wear of the cutting blade, as well as lesser grout dust dispersion. The cutting edge preferably has a nonplanar shape, preferably an arcuate one. As a result, when cutting begins, the initial contact area between the cutting edge and the grout is smaller, resulting in greater initial grout penetration.
The grout removal tool has been found to provide an extremely high rate of grout removal, one rivaling rotary-mode grout removal tools. However, unlike rotary-mode tools, the tool that is the subject of this document is extremely easy to control, and can be used for high-precision grout removal without damaging the surrounding tile. Additionally, the tool provides extremely low dust generation (on the order of that of the vibration-mode grout removal tools), but at far lower cost. Further advantages, features, and objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the associated drawings.